Lion Paws
by lonely king
Summary: Lucy never thought she would call Loke useless someday. But in the form he was in right now, she really couldn't come up with a different adjective. Kitty!Loke/Lucy oneshot. Fluff.


Title: Lion Paws

Pairing: loke/lucy

Rating: T

Word Count: 1977

A/N: I have no excuse for this. : u Slightly ooc Loke. Probably.

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><p>Lately Lucy found that she could adapt to extreme pressure in unorthodox situations. Sudden battles between Natsu and Gray left her desensitized to explosions and showers of icy arrows. The terrifying aura of an angered Erza was enough to leave her immune to any other's glares. Just being in Fairy Tail made Lucy feel like nothing else would be able to surprise her ever again. But darn her arrogance because right now Lucy had no clue what to do.<p>

Loke's bright golden brown eyes shined like an evening sun. Lucy could easily lose herself in those wonderful warm hues, but generally she had to look **up** to see them. The young Stellar Mage swallowed nervously, tucking a strand of straw yellow hair behind her ear. "S-So… why aren't you turning back already, Loke?" Lucy pursed her lips at her higher than normal voice. B-but seriously, couldn't she catch a break already? Sighing, she smoothed down her too short skirt and kneeled down, keeping her legs clamped tightly together just in case the curious Lion decided to look somewhere he shouldn't. "Loke…" She whined once again, gently tapping the furry head of her strongest celestial spirit.

Loke meowed in response. The Leo stood up and rubbed his head against the hand of his owner, rubbing back and forth hoping for a scratch behind the ear. The blonde haired mage complied, tickling the small lion cub beneath his chin and ear. He purred blissfully in response, large gold and amber eyes shutting tight. Lucy sighed once again, drooping her head dejectedly. If Loke stayed like this then.. then… on no, what would she dooooooo!

The young woman whipped backwards and grabbed her head comically, twisting round and around as she remembered how her flirtatious lion had become an actual lion. It was a mission like any other, a simple one with a nice little reward at the end. But the mage she had gone against had hit Loke with some sort of strange magic just before he took him down and now… and now ! Loke had transformed into a cheerful little lion cub that seemed more than happy to nap the rest of his days on Lucy's lap. She opened her chocolate brown eyes and stared down at her nakama. He stared back with a grin… or at least it certainly looked like a grin.

She shook her head. "Never mind, we'll figure this out later. For now let's get home. Maybe this is a timed spell and we only have to wait a couple of hours… or days… oh no, please don't let it be weeks." Lucy leaned down and picked up the small lion cub and carried him home, sighing and moping all the way. During the short trip back to her apartment Loke was strangely silent and pensive. It wasn't often that he was the one that was carried and pressed tightly against the well-endowed chest of his owner. He grinned mischievously and curled up in his owner's warm embrace. He could enjoy this for a while ~

"I'm hoooooome." Lucy called out tiredly, half expecting a starving Natsu to launch himself at her feet or a half-naked Gray lounging on her bed or an armor clad Erza demurely sipping tea at her table. Blinking at the silence she glanced around to find her home empty. She titled her head and shrugged at the rare solitude. She flopped the purring Loke onto her bed before digging through her drawers for some clothes. "Loke, I'm going to take a shower so take a nap or something. I'll only be a moment." "Prreow." Just as she was opening the bathroom door the soft padding and rub of soft fur against her leg made her glance down. Loke was looking up at her expectantly, golden eyes sparkling.

Ludy felt her face immediately flush and she raised her hands defensively before her. "O-oh no. You're not taking a shower with me. No way so get that look off of your face!" She hated how her face felt so hot or that it was probably a bright red but just the thought of little lion Loke suddenly transforming back into his handsome human self just as she was in the middle of taking a bath… No no no no! It was too embarrassing! The little flirt must have sensed her dissent because at that moment he let out the most pitiful meow he could muster. Who said he had pride? If he had the chance to take a wonderful bath with his beautiful owner then he would do the lowest thing he could. Lucy narrowed her eyes at the adorable beast perched on her feet, gazing up at her adoringly. To be honest, his fur was matted and dirty from the fight… it wouldn't be fair to leave him like that… Ugh, darn it!

"F-FINE! BUT I'M TAKING A BUBBLE BATH! A-AND YOU HAVE TO STAY WHERE I TELL YOU." Loke purred in return. Success~ He was still forced to wait outside on threat of being kicked outside to wait in the cold until Lucy was safely inside the bath. Once she was she hesitantly called for Loke to come inside. His round ears perked forward and he trotted inside making it across the bathroom with some difficulty, his furry paws kept skidding across the slightly wet tile. Lucy giggled despite herself and leaned over the tub, ignoring the sloshing of foamy water onto the floor, and picked up her Leo from the ground. She was leaning against the tub so she was able to gently place Loke on her knees. He peeked around and purred at his owner, eyes bright with amusement.

"H-hey. Get that silly expression off of your face." Lucy grumbled, playfully splashing the lion with some coconut and vanilla scented bubble water. Loke shook himself from the attack and then leapt gracefully into the waters of the tub. He flailed as he got used to the feel of water around his furry body. Once he was comfortable he began to paddle around the small tub, dipping his head occasionally and then coming back to Lucy to rest on her knees and stomach. She laughed at the sight, really, her Leo could be so cute!

Squeezing some of her shampoo onto the palm of her hand she lightly washed Loke's fur in small circular motions. His rumbling purrs were loud even with his small body which made her laugh even more. Finally, she rinsed him off and placed him on a waiting towel outside of the tub. "Dry yourself off." She ordered with a smile and a waggling finger. She turned her attention back to herself, rubbing a soft loofa against her body and enjoying the relaxing sensation of all the dirt and grime from her jobs falling away. She almost forgot that Loke was present, and she certainly didn't notice his round eyes watching her every movement. Following every bead of water that caressed her body and dipped into places where he could only dream he could touch. His purrs grew deep. Lucy was so… beautiful…

"Ahhhh~ That feels great." Now it was Lucy's turn to purr in contented bliss. She gave her hair a final rinse before leaning forward to stand. She reached over for a nearby towel when she noticed Loke's round golden eyes staring at her unblinkingly. "YAAAAH! LOKE! YOU'RE STILL HERE !" The young mage shoved herself back into the tepid water while her arms desperately tried to cover as much of her body as she could. She seemed to have forgotten that Loke had already seen much more than just her shoulders and lovely flat stomach. Muuuuuuuch more. "GET OUT!" Loke's vision was blurred by a wet towel slapping him in the face. Ow. He meekly trailed out of the bathroom and padded towards the center of the room. He shook himself off, hoping to dislodge the new droplets of water now clinging to his golden fur.

Just as he was licking the last droplets of water from his paw his keen ears picked up the soft foot falls of his owner. He turned around, perking up immediately ( and slightly disappointed ) at the sight of a dressed Lucy. Her lips were fixed in a cute pout while staring him down. "You… you didn't see anything… alright?" Loke mewed in response. "Right. So. You're not back to your normal self yet… this could be a problem if you aren't _you_ by tomorrow. Natsu and Gray and Erza took on a new job and they asked me to join too. And I can't do much with you already out.

Loke leapt onto the soft duvets of Lucy's bed and crawled onto her lap, twisting himself into a comfortable little ball. She sighed but scratched his head anyway. "You're useless like this you know?" She waited for several seconds before chuckling softly, loving the shocked look on Loke's face. She poked his wet nose before smiling coquettishly. "That's right, you the big bad leader of the celestial spirits completely useless. " Loke could only huff in response, his tail flicking wildly. "Kidding~" Lucy stuck out her tongue playfully before leaning down to softly, lovingly, place a kiss on the top of his head. "I know I can always count on you Loke." The blonde girl smiled brightly, rubbing Loke's soft cheeks between her small hands. "Time for bed, if you change back then I better not see you next to me Loke. I mean it!" Lucy slipped beneath the covers and patted her pillow for Loke to share. The Leo curled up next to Lucy's drowsy face, cheeks still puffed out in mock anger. He watched as her kind-hearted eyes slowly drifted shut and her breathes relaxed to a slow tempo. Tenderly, Loke leaned close to his owner and pressed his snout against her lower lip and finally to the rest of her lips.

A simple kiss. The Leo opened his eyes and found Lucy to be much smaller than she had appeared just a moment ago. He reached over and gently curled his fingers against the still wet strands of her hair. He chuckled lowly, sending a rumble throughout the bed. "You silly lovely girl. You'll catch a cold that way." He titled his head and pressed his lips against her forehead before tucking her into a tight embrace.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Lucy's eyes fluttered open and squinted into the darkness. She was surprised that she had woken up before dawn for once. She lifted herself into a sitting position and stretched out her arms, yawning happily. Suddenly, she remembered that she had been sharing a bed with someone last night. "AH! LOKE! Loke where are you, I didn't squish you did… I…" There, nestled on her couch was the humanized version of Loke locked in a deep sleep. Lucy blinked before flushing in silly glee. '_The silly Lion. He actually listened to me...'_

Softly she crept out of her bed and towards the sleeping Lion. Perching on the edge of the couch with her legs curled beneath her she watched Loke sleep peacefully. She smiled, twirling a spiky strand of hair around her finger. "Thank you. Loke, for being with me…"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Dawn… Loke yawned drowsily feeling oddly at peace despite being outside the Spirit World for almost an entire day. Rubbing his eyes he felt a soft pressure on his arm. Turning he saw Lucy nestled by his side, snoring softly. Loke wasn't sure whether he should laugh or be surprised. So he did neither and kissed his owner awake. Once, twice, three and four times until finally she blinked open those creamy chocolate brown eyes. "Mm.. what?"

"Morning Princess ~"

"Loke… Loke… did you just kiss me?"

"What? Of course not, now why would I do that my princess?~"

"LOKE!"


End file.
